


Business Transaction

by ralf



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fond Antagonism, Gen, Humor, M/M, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-29 23:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18788842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ralf/pseuds/ralf
Summary: “Hey Magnus,” Jace greets. “I need your help.”Magnus takes his time depositing the mortar with one final jab at its contents. “Almost everyone does, but alas only very few people get it,” he says and shoots Jace a smug little smile.Or: Jace calls upon the High Warlock of Brooklyn.





	Business Transaction

**Author's Note:**

> the third of three jace&magnus bonding fics i have planned so far, but the first to be finished. hah. love me some twisted chronology.

A tendril of nervousness coils in Jace's stomach but he fights it down viciously. He's come prepared. And it's just his parabatai's boyfriend so there's no need to fret.

He walks down the hallway leading to Magus's loft determinedly. The door doesn't unlock for him like it does for Alec, Jace notes with some disgruntlement. He raises his hand to knock but a second before his knuckles make contact with the polished wood the door clicks and swings open a crack. Jace rolls his eyes at the no doubt intentional dramatics and enters.

Magnus is sitting on the couch, the table in front of him crowded with weird potion ingredients Jace doesn't examine too closely, a buret filled with something purple and a mortar he's busily grinding away at.

“Hey Magnus,” Jace greets. “I need your help.”

Magnus takes his time depositing the mortar with one final jab at its contents. “Almost everyone does, but alas only very few people get it.” He shoots Jace a smug little smile before grabbing a vial and starting to drip a shimmering blue liquid into the mixture.

Jace huffs. “It's important.”

Magnus raises his brows, eyes still fixed on the vial, counting drops. “I'm sure it is.” He puts the vial down and reaches for a stash of red leaves.

“Okay, listen, I'm here for your services as a paying customer.”

The way Magnus strews red leaves into the mortar radiates disregard.

Jace's nerves make a reappearance. “Please Magnus, it really is important.”

Magnus lets out a long sigh and finally abandons his potion making. “Since you seem intent on bugging me, fine. What is it?”

Jace straightens a little. “I want you to open a portal for me. This thursday evening, at six p.m. sharp.”

“Of course you do.” Magnus rolls his eyes. “And where to?”

“Paris.”

That earns him a snort. “Did Alec brag about our last date?” Fondness glints in Magnus's eyes and Jace bites back a smile. Witnessing how ridiculously gone Magnus and Alec are on each other will never not be hilarious to him.

“He didn't. Iz nagged him until she had all the details.” Jace vividly remembers Alec's grumpy face while Izzy kept piling him with questions.

Magnus gives a pensive hum. “And you thought you'd take inspiration from the best? Can't say I'm not flattered.” His grin is entirely too self-satisfied.

“No, actually...” Jace shifts from foot to foot. “Clary told me how it's always been her dream to visit Paris, so. I asked Alec to give us friday off so we'd have more time there.”

Predictably Magnus's face softened as soon as he mentiones Clary, and for the first time since Jace entered the loft his smile loses all traces of teasing. “Well, if it's for Clary, consider it done.”

Jace blinks. That was surprisingly easy. Hah. He was right not to be nervous. “For free?” he inquires.

Instantly Magnus is back to smirking. “For Biscuit, sure. For you? Never.” He shows all of his teeth in a broad smile that has Jace's lips twitching in fond annoyance.

“Alright, here's your payment,” he says and hands Magnus the envelope he'd painstakingly prepared.

Clary told him about her wish to see Paris long before last week and the plan to take her there had taken root in his mind ever since. Sadly all warlocks he contacted had demanded horrendous sums for their services and if he actually wanted to be able to treat Clary to a nice restaurant and maybe even buy her a souvenir he'd have to save up money for at least another few months until he could afford one of them. The realization had been pretty crushing but he'd settled in for the long haul.

Then, when Alec had mentioned the destination of his and Magnus's latest globetrotting, an idea had formed in his head because while Magnus surely was used to demanding money for his services Jace had the inkling he'd be amenable to accept a different kind of payment in this case.

Magnus frowns at the unyielding material he can no doubt feel through the thin paper of the envelope. “This isn't money,” he assesses and looks up at Jace with a slightly confused expression.

It's finally Jace's turn to smirk. “It's something so much better than money.”

Magnus gives him a highly sceptical look that Jace would be offended by if he didn't find himself frequently on the receiving end of that exact same one from Izzy whenever he asks for her opinion on his latest date vision. Needless to say he's grown immune to the effects of that particular look. He'll never understand why people have so little faith in him.

“It's pictures of Alec,” Jace explains because Magnus is still peering at him suspiciously instead of opening the envelope.

Magnus's frown intensifies. “It might have escaped your notice but I have the real thing. I can snap pictures of him whenever I want. Why would I need yours?”

“Oh, did I forget to clarify?” Jace can't hold back a chuckle. He didn't forget, he just likes to be dramatic. Probably almost as much as Magnus. “They're not current photos. They're baby pictures.”

He had to dig through the deepest pits of the Institute, finally finding a few old photo albums in the darkest corner of Alec's cabinet, no doubt placed there by him so they'd never see the light of day again. Jace had a blast looking through them, gleefully picking out the most embarrassing pictures of Alec he could find. Alec had it coming. He recently discovered his hobby of supplying Clary with increasingly outrageous stories featuring Jace and ducks. They're even partly made-up but Clary never believes Jace when he insists they're lies. So yeah, Jace felt absolutely no guilt compiling an extensive collection of every cringy childhood photo of Alec that he could get his hands on. He had a feeling Magnus would greatly appreciate them.

His instincts were right it seems, if the delighted gleam that appears in Magnus's eyes is any indication. He cradles the envelope carefully between his hands and stares at it in awe for a moment before turning back to Jace. “You are a ruthless man, Jace Herondale.”

“My most underrated talent,” Jace quips with a wide smile.

Magnus laughs. “No doubt about that. I accept your payment, by the way. It's been a pleasure making business with you.”

Jace nods at him in acknowledgement. “Same.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

That evening he suddenly feels an intense coil of emotion through the parabatai bond. He makes out shock and a muted kind of fear, followed by awkwardness and embarrassment, then suspicion and finally severe annoyance.

Not even half a minute later his phone chimes with an incoming text from Alec.

_I hate you, Jace. Enjoy your friday because it's the last day off you're getting for a while._

Jace bursts out laughing like a loon. Totally worth it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [here](https://ralfstrashcan.tumblr.com/post/184487494944/5-bucks-say-clace-are-constantly-jealous-of)'s the corresponding humorous tumblr post XD
> 
> (and here's a [version](https://ralfstrashcan.tumblr.com/post/184802101194/ralfstrashcan-5-bucks-say-clace-are-constantly) with the fic link if you feel like advertising me haha)
> 
> for a glimpse at alec's side of things, check the comment section (8th thread).


End file.
